


Black Sheep

by peachsoul



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Fluff, Lovey-Dovey, M/M, Nolan feels like a lot....like so much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-07
Updated: 2017-07-07
Packaged: 2018-11-28 22:11:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11427237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachsoul/pseuds/peachsoul
Summary: Nolan knows now that he was never meant to hate Nico.





	Black Sheep

Contrary to popular belief, when Nolan first hears about Nico, he doesn't hate him.

It's early Sunday morning and he's well aware that there's probably another article, another blog post, another tweet about Hichier, slowly but surely, taking his spot.

His mom had told him to cut it out with the google alerts on his name after the one (and only, Nolan would like to highlight, thank you very much) disaster that involved storming out of the house and copious amounts of self deprecation for an 18 year old with a sports hernia. It's almost comical, somehow, Nolan thinks.

But yeah, he doesn't hate Nico. Doesn't know the guy well enough, or at all really to hate him. Besides, Nolan can be a big boy an admit that his circumstances aren't the best...injury after injury really puts a damper on the prospect of being number 1 anyways, his sisters say he doesn't need that added on pressure. He thinks they're wrong, but he stays quiet.

Nolan, for what it's worth, thinks that he kept his cool pretty well, considering he did spend 3 hours locked away in his room watching videos of Nico play with Halifax, play in Switzerland. He does it away from his sisters constant gaze, and away from his mom's pitying stare...and, god, his father's everything. He doesn't want pity at that moment, he wants answers.

He watches the interviews and he watches the reviews from hockey experts, and he tries desperately to ignore the voice in the back of his mind telling him that there's no way he'll be able to catch up in time. He has to take a deep breath after falling into a whole of reading all the articles that had built up since he had gone through with his surgery, there were a lot.

So, no, Nolan doesn't hate Nico. Feels like he has no right to. He's earning his spot just like Nolan thought he had been doing earlier in the year.

But it doesn't stop the pit in his stomach from forming when he watches Nico fly down the ice, like he owns it, like he was made to be there more than Nolan has ever been.

Nolan thinks it's enough self deprecation for a day.

~~~~~

The first time Nolan meets Nico durning the captain's photo shoot, he still doesn't hate him.

(It might be the nice smile that Nico flashes him as he passes him quickly in the hallway on their way to get prepped for the shoot, but Nolan doesn't dwell on it too much.)

Nico is already on the ice when Nolan's manager finally ushers him down the long hallway in the arena, telling him that he's taking too long, and that they have plenty of interviews to get through after, where they'll surely ask Nolan what he thinks about Nico, just what he needs, he thinks begrudgingly.

It's painfully awkward. Actually, it's probably not but Nolan cannot make eye contact with the Swiss to save his life, he makes his way to the center of the ice where Nico and the photography crew are standing, he's looking down at this shoes and watching the way the ice crunches underneath them. Right now would be a really good time for the earth to open up and swallow him whole.

Nolan decides if there's anytime to be worried, it's sure as hell not now. So, as he takes the final steps towards the center of the ice with his head held high, he steps closer to Nico, steps closer to the boy who Nolan has read countless articles of analysts pitting them against each other, spent nights researching Nico till his eyes went blurry, just for the sake of keeping himself sane. Making sure that he could still catch up.

And then Nico smiles at him so brightly that Nolan forgets about anything he had planned on saying to him.

"Hey," he says. Hoping to god his voice doesn't sound as shaky as it sounds echoing in his ears.

Nolan is trying to ignore how his whole body is heating up because of Nico's stare. He curses his families genetics, because Nolan knows his cheeks are turning a rosy pink right in front of everyone's eyes.

He watches carefully as Nico sticks his hand out for Nolan to shake. "Hello, it's very nice to finally meet you."

There's people around them talking and shouting for specific lights, and there's a voice calling for a puck and Nolan can hear the camera clicking rapidly as the photographer takes some sample shots of them, but the moment feels oddly....intimate. Nolan finds himself feeling shy.

"Same." Nolan inwardly curses himself for the short answer, but his nerves are shot as he takes a hold of Nico's open hand, it's warm and Nolan can feel the calluses under his own. It feels like it's all too much.

Nico laughs as he lets go of Nolan's hand after a beat too long. "I'm not used to photo shoots like this, you'll have to help me out."

Running his fingers through his hair just for something to do with his hands, Nolan lets out a laugh that sounds more like a shaky breath and turns towards the photographer, who's still fumbling with the settings on the camera.

"What makes you think I'm any better?"

Nolan ignores the way his face rushes to flame up as he hears Nico's laugh ringing in his ear, they're pressed shoulder to shoulder.

Everything's gonna be fine.

~~~~~

Except, everything is absolutely not fine because Nico is very cute and laughs at everything Nolan says, even though Nolan is almost 90% sure that he doesn't understand most of the things Nolan is saying.

The photoshoot consist of an hour and a half of eye contact foreplay, Nolan isn't one to be overdramatic but that's exactly what it feels ike.

Much to his dismay, the photographer makes sure to one up the poses as they come. They go from being so cliché that Nico and Nolan can't help but to lock eyes and giggle under their breaths as the photographer manhandles them back to back, barking orders to look serious.

Nolan pointedly ignores how much heat is radiating from Nico. It's not the time. It's never the time.

Somehow it gets worse when the photographer motions for them to stand face to face with their arms crossed, and then proceeds to sigh and push them together until they're basically nose to nose.

And because Nolan isn't actually a fool, he manages to hold in the surprised gasp that was threatening to spill past his lips. But, Nolan can see the flecks of colors in Nico's eyes from this close, and he can feel his warm, minty breath feathering across his cheeks and lips.

"No one asks us to do stuff like this in Halifax." Nico turns his head to the side as the photographer walks back to the camera, he lets out a laugh and Nolan can see every mole doting across Nico's profile.

"We just met and you're closer to me than most of my friends that I've known for 10 years have been to me. You would think they would at least let me wine and dine you first."

Nolan watches, unable to look anywhere else, as Nico turns his head to look back at him with an unreadable expression on his face.

Before Nolan can question it too much the photographer is signaling the shoot is over.

As he quickly backs away from Nico, unable to look at him in the eyes, Nolan tries not to miss the warmth too much. He's not sure what he's thinking.

"We should get dinner after everything. Should get to know each other more, before everyone gets here.

Nico isn't looking at him when Nolan turns to give him an amused gaze, he's looking down at the hockey stick in his hand. Nolan pointedly ignores the voice in the back of his head telling him that maybe Nico is shy.

"Oh, yeah, totally. Wait for me? I have some interviews to finish and then we can go wherever." Nolan forces himself to maintain eye contact with Nico whose grinning back at him.

They stop in the middle of the hallway as Nico has to go one way to change back into his normal clothes and Nolan has to prepare himself for the onslaught of media waiting for him.

"Yeah i'll wait. Don't make me wait too long though, I'm hungry."

Nolan goes into the media scrum with a blush high on his cheeks, and the knowing feeling that he is so so incredibly fucked.

Part of him thinks it might have been easier to hate Nico.

~~~~~~~~

Dinner is....interesting.

Nolan spends half the time trying to ignore the fact that Nico bites his straws. And the other half trying not to marvel at how genuine he is.

Nico carries himself in a way that Nolan finds himself envying, there's no tension in his shoulders as they talk about the draft that's coming up in a few weeks and there's an easy laughter that passes through him when Nolan asks him about possibly being picking number one.

A part of Nolan wishes he wasn't such a masochist, but also he wants to know that Nico thinks about it just as much as he does.

"No point in thinking about too much. I will go where I go, you know? People can think what they want." Nolan watches as Nico folds up his napkin and looks up at him through his long eyelashes.

"Besides, I think you have chance to go first too."

Nolan swallows hard and he has to look away from Nico before he says something stupid, like that he genuinely would be so happy if Nico went first.

It's stupid, Nolan thinks almost bitterly. A year ago it would have felt like poison in his throat if he ever had to say something like that, but not when it's Nico and he feels like he knows him, and Nico is nice, and he's real, and he tells Nolan about back home in Switzerland, and he tells him about his family, and about his move to Canada, and he's the first player that Nolan has met that doesn't treat him like a rival and they're not even on the same team, they're never gonna be on the same team, and yet Nico is winking at Nolan across the table, telling him he should go first.

Nolan never wants Nico to stop talking. He's trying to think if that's a problem or not.

~~~~~~~

They both end up in Nico's hotel room after a mutual understanding that neither of them want to be alone at the moment.

And this is the calmest that Nolan has felt in months, so he lets himself have more and more, even if it's getting a little dangerous.

Nolan stands awkwardly in front of the king sized bed as Nico toes of his shoes and half heartedly throws himself onto the bed. Suddenly it's too quiet, too much room for Nolan to make a mistake.

Nico reaches over to the nightstand, grabbing the remote. "Lay down. We can find some movie on TV. Coach says watching English TV will help with pronunciation."

Without thinking Nolan laughs and takes off his shoes, sitting up against the pillows making sure that he and Nico are no where close to touching. The bed is big so Nolan can keep a distance, even when Nico is making himself comfortable.

Nolan soon realizes that Nico is a lot more tactile than one would think. He watches in fascination as Nico finds some random rom com and begins to lean more and more towards Nolan.

He finds himself completely unable to focus on the movie. He's not sure if it's just wishful thinking or if he's absolutely losing his mind, but he can feel Nico watching him from the corner of his eyes, he can feel himself get warmer and warmer as Nico scoots in closer as the movie goes on.

"All the boys back in Switzerland refuse to watch romantic comedies with me. Think they're all manly men." Nico says during a commercial, breaking the silence that Nolan was suffocating under.

Nolan clears his throat. "I don't think they're too bad, gives you some hope, no matter how cheesy they are."

Nico laughs for what seems like the 100th time that day and turns to look up at Nolan whose finally not tense, and melting into the pillows. He absolutely could fall asleep right then and there with Nico pressed about against his side.

He needs to collect himself. He just met Nico today, they're getting drafted in a few weeks. Nico isn't gay.

"People make us out to be rivals, why is that? I don't want to be your rival, we're friends."

And that's....that's something.

Nolan stares at Nico, and he memorizes the shape of his eyebrows and the way his nose is just a little upturned, and he notices the way his hair is a little bit of a mess from resting against the pillows, and he looks at the sunburn lining the bridge of his nose. Nolan wants to hate him so bad.

"It's just for show, they do it with every top prospects. Look at Mcdavid and Eichel, they're probably friends."

He pointedly doesn't look at Nico in the eyes as he speaks, purposely looking at the TV as if the movie is actually that interesting.

Trying not to squirm under Nico's lingering gaze, Nolan looks down at the watch on his wrist, it's 9, he should probably head to his room soon.

"You can still go first Nolan....all the articles don't have to be true." Nico looks back at the screen as if he hasn't constantly been surprising Nolan all day long.

"What? Where did that come from?"

Nico shuffles away from Nolan, eyes focused on a spot on the wall next to the TV.

"I'm not sure. I get the feeling you don't like me very much. I read the articles too, I'm sorry they say stuff about you that's not true, I don't believe them."

Taking a deep breath and not thinking about it for too long before he talks himself out of it, Nolan reaches out to touch Nico's wrist, it's a lot more intimate than he meant it to be. But, he doesn't regret it.

"Hey, don't, I do like you, a lot. Yeah, I've read those articles and maybe at some point I didn't like you very much, but then I actually met you and there's no way I could be mad now. If you went first Nico...I don't care about that anymore. We're friends, I promise."

Nolan almost isn't too surprised when Nico turns his body and closes the distance between the two of them, and kisses him.

It's not the best kiss in theory, heads too much teeth and Nico had onions at dinner and Nolan's head is digging harshly into the headboard, but Nico is warm under Nolan's hands where's he's cradling his jaw, shivering slightly when Nico ruins his fingers through Nolan's hair.

Nolan thinks that Nico kisses like he plays hockey which, the irony doesn't miss him. But Nico is careful and quick and he knows what Nolan will do before he does it and it's not earth altering, but it's close when Nico gently nips at Nolan's lips.

Keeping the little whine from passing his lips, Nolan watches as Nico pulls away, noting delightedly that Nico is flushed down to his neck.

"I guess we can be more than friends huh?"

Nolan tips his head back onto the pillows and laughs, thinking about how a month ago he could have hated Nico, and he almost did hate the fact that he was ruining everything that Nolan had worked for, taking away something that Nolan thought he had since he was old enough to understand that he was good.

But right now Nolan is trying not to snicker because he can feel Nico sneakily trying to intertwine their fingers. Nolan lets him, and holds on tight.

They just met each other a few hours ago and there's still so much that's uncertain between them. They're getting drafted in a few weeks and there's no way they're gonna go to the same team, but it's New jersey and Philadelphia...only an hour drive.

And all Nolan knows is that he's scared and that everything feels uncertain, but the one thing that somehow doesn't scare him and doesn't feel uncertain is Nico's hand in his, squeezing his as the couple on the screen kiss.

And yeah, Nolan was never meant to hate Nico.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hellooo everyone~~~ this is the first time I've written for the hockey fandom so this might literally be shit, but I hope you enjoyed it a little. If you want to follow me on tumblr i'm @ sventeens! Thanks for reading :)


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